How long does a helmet last?

[silversurfer]

Hi. Does anyone know what the lifespan of a helmet is? I've just dug out a couple of old ones (5-6 years) and I'm wondering if I should throw them out even though they've never been dropped or seen impact. I've heard that the foam degrades over time but I'm not sure how much of that is marketing. Seems such a waste to just bin them.

[shootingstar]

I would wear and keep it for up to 10 yrs.

A helmet isn't 100% guarantee to protect you from high impact injury. So I factor that...and not get obsessed if the plastic will degrade so much that over the years.

Yes, I think some of it is marketing hype. Of course, it depends how often you wear it and how much you sweat, etc.

Look at this way, talk to cyclists who refuse to wear a helmet. That's my comparison vs. a 10 yr. old helmet that hasn't been dropped hard, etc.

[OakLeaf]

BHSI and Snell both say five years. That's a recommendation that's been in place since long before the current lightweight helmets. So, three years vs. five might be marketing, or it might be based on the fact that newer helmets have so much more surface area and places to degrade, and so much less protective material. But five years is what the safety organizations say and that would be my outer limit. Isn't the possibility of avoiding traumatic brain injury worth $40 or $60 to you? Or even $300 if you want a top of the line helmet?

[pll]

We have discussed that very question before (see the previous thread here (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=42182&highlight=helmets+degrading)). Manufacturer recommendations range from 3-4 years to 8 years (MET, cited in the linked older thread by goldfinch). At the time, I asked a materials science prof about the longevity of EPS and helmets, in particular. He said EPS does not degrade over time. Given that, other considerations factor in: EPS may not degrade, but the padding and straps may look ratty, you may prefer a different style, etc.

[shootingstar]

I seriously wonder if material degradation depends also how often it is worn anyway and exposed to the elements day after day.

I see my helmet as protection or reducing abit of risk for low-medium impact injuries.

For the past few months, I've responding to blog posts on other blogs, on defending the usefulness of wearing a helmet ...with really anti-helmet cyclists. I'm actually tired of hearing their arguments.

So I see my position as incredibly minor (wearing a helmet that has never been cracked but a bit older than 5 yrs.) vs. theirs...refusing to wear a helmet.

[silversurfer]

Ah, sorry, missed the other thread which I'll go and read. Thanks for your replies. I actually wear a helmet that is only a year old but was loathe to throw these away which I found while doing a bit of a clear out.

[pll]

I guess my question about those helmets would be if you are 100% sure they have not been hit or bumped at all? If in doubt, I'd err on the safe side and discard them.

I am very gentle with my helmet and it has it's own "reserved" spot on a high shelf, check it periodically for wear. EPS might not degrade significantly if left alone, but the straps might rubbing and wearing the material down.

[OakLeaf]

As I said in the other thread, I have a very hard time believing EPS doesn't degrade, when I've personally plucked crumbling coffee cups off the ground pretty much every time I've done park cleanup, and it's not unusual for me to just encounter them on trails and pack them out. If EPS doesn't degrade, why are those cups crumbling? The beads themselves may not degrade (though they sure seem spongy), but the bonds between them unquestionably do.

If I replace my $60 helmet every three years, it's costing me a nickel a day. Three cents a day, if I replace it every five years. A $300 helmet replaced every three years works out to a quarter a day. I've had one concussion, wearing a helmet, and I don't want to think about what might've happened if the helmet had failed. It's worth three cents a day to me, not to find out.

[Kiwi Stoker]

I don't think it's the EPS that's the problem but the glues used to hold it together.

I know with safety boots the manufacturer date stamps them and when I asked they said it wasn't the sole or the leather they were worried about but the glue holding it togther (even when it was also stitched).

I used to have one of those helmets with the fabric cover when I was a kid and I can tell you the polystrene sure did get dented and discolored. The plastic cover that is now glued in place does really help.

Also the straps- think like seat belts that have become discolored- they are not longer safe to do their job. Imagine a strap giving way on your helmet as you speed down a steep hill- it might not hurt you but think about any other cyclist behind.

[shootingstar]

I wouldn't be wearing a helmet if the strap was no longer holding my helmet on my head.

Anyway, join in the year long debate on helmets fuelled by M.Anderson (of Copenhagenize blog) who passionately believes not in wearing helmets:

http://momentummag.com/videos/mikael-colville-andersen-why-we-shouldnt-wear-bike-helmets

In the above thread, I was accused of being irrational, emotional, blah, blah, etc.

[OakLeaf]

Well, I'm not clicking on that link, I've seen enough of the BS surrounding motorcycle helmets to last me a lifetime. I wear - and replace - mine religiously, but I really don't consider it any of my business what anyone else does.

But as far as I'm concerned, a 10-year-old helmet IS nothing but a false sense of security. You'd be better off going bareheaded and at least acknowledging the risk.

[redrhodie]

I see this older man riding on the bike path with a helmet so old, it didn't have any coating over the styrofoam. It must have been orange at one point, but was so degraded even the color faded. I asked my lbs adout him, and out turns out he's 90 years old. I mentioned that his helmet looked like it was older than me, and that someone needed to tell him it should be replaced. Well, I saw him the other day, and he had on a new helmet. I suspect my lbs gave it to him.

Don't wait that long.

[malkin]

I like that story red!


When it starts to stink, it is (past) time to get a new helmet.

[Melalvai]

I see this older man riding on the bike path with a helmet so old, it didn't have any coating over the styrofoam. It must have been orange at one point, but was so degraded even the color faded. I asked my lbs adout him, and out turns out he's 90 years old. I mentioned that his helmet looked like it was older than me, and that someone needed to tell him it should be replaced. Well, I saw him the other day, and he had on a new helmet. I suspect my lbs gave it to him.
That's awesome. You & the lbs.

[silversurfer]

I like that story red!


When it starts to stink, it is (past) time to get a new helmet.

I like the story. And the test. But I spend a certain amount of time in mine and it doesn't take long for them to whiff so I clean (gently).

Thanks again for your replies. I've never really given much thought to the make-up of helmets and the various elements that may or may not degrade. My own view is that if I'm going to wear one then I might as well be sure it will work so the old ones are going in the bin unless i can find a way to recycle. That said, I ride with a number of people who don't wear helmets and it doesn't bother me. They're adults and can make their own choices.

[pll]

On a tangentially related note... out here, Chicagoland, I've seen several people (commuters) riding a bike with a full face motorcycle helmet in the winter. Makes sense to me given the terrible cold winds we face.

[OakLeaf]

Heh. One thing I totally cannot understand is people who ride motorcycles with no helmets in the dead of winter. Whatever their feeling about helmets in general, you'd think they'd want the warmth!

[smittykitty]

Guess we need another trip to REI or LBS. Thinking mine is 7-8 yrs old and DH's is probably 5+.

Any recommendations on brands, etc. I assume fit and ANSI cert. are the biggys?

[pll]

I found the following article:
http://www.bicycling.com/beginners/bikes-gear/brush-your-bonnet

This recommendation makes me wonder:

Never dry your helmet in the clothes dryer with your skivvies or in the microwave with your lunch-it'll severely weaken the shell and bonding materials.

*Who* would think of putting a helmet in the clothes drier, to spin and get knocked around!? And *who* would put one in the microwave!?

I don't even use any soap on it... a moist towel is enough to clean any dirt.

[limewave]

Oh man, I am way overdo for a new a helmet and so is DH! I think our helmets are over 10 years old each.

Looks like my list of needed cycling gear is growing . . .

[Bethany1]

If you you take a really good spill with your helmet, I heard it crack, should you replace it?

I can see keeping one for as long as a few years or so, but I'm wondering if mine is a goner.

[pll]

If you you take a really good spill with your helmet, I heard it crack, should you replace it?

I can see keeping one for as long as a few years or so, but I'm wondering if mine is a goner.

Yes! Please get a new one. The old one has done its job, to protect your head. Only one crash allowed.

[ny biker]

Oh man, I am way overdo for a new a helmet and so is DH! I think our helmets are over 10 years old each.

Looks like my list of needed cycling gear is growing . . .

Always growing. Never shrinking. This is the real reason they always greet me with a smile at the LBS.

I think my helmets are in good shape but they're at least 6 years old so I just added "helmet" to my shopping list for May.

[Owlie]

If you you take a really good spill with your helmet, I heard it crack, should you replace it?

I can see keeping one for as long as a few years or so, but I'm wondering if mine is a goner.

I think the rule is that if you crash it, you should replace it, even if you didn't hear it crack. The fact that you heard it crack means that it's a goner. Please get a new one!

[nuliajuk]

I've always been told (in bike shops) to replace a helmet every five years. However, when I contacted Louis Garneau to ask about a seven year old L.G. helmet, they told me it should be fine. So, don't know what the answer is. Probably at least every 10 years.
I was riding with my sister through a park once, when she skidded out on some mud and cracked her helmet. By pure coincidence, there was a walkathon going on for a brain injury research charity in the same park on the same day. On the way back, she handed them her helmet to use for publicity purposes.

[kajero]

I crashed my bicycle two weeks ago. Wound up on the ground with 8 broken ribs, broken shoulder bone and collar bone. I was wearing a helmet and had a a small concussion. There was a small traumatic brain injury because I don't remember anything until I was in the hospital room. (And that was after the ambulance pickup) THANK GOD FOR HELMETS!!!!!!

Anyway, the helmet which was fours years old is being replaced. In fact, I hadn't picked up my new bike at the LBS yet and when I returned from therapy there was a new better quality helmet on my bed. I figure it was from the LBS as it it matches the new bike perfectly. I don't know if it was the LBS who actually bought the helmet, but you can be sure I will wear it! And I think I will replace it every other year.

IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT, WEAR A HELMET. YOU CAN ALWAYS REGRET WEARING IT.

[Owlie]

Mine's 3 years old, given the manufacturer's date sticker on the inside. I'm hoping to replace it this summer, partly because it's getting there, partly because I've lost the replacement pads (and it's getting funky) and partly because I've determined it to be the cause of my headaches--apparently I don't have a "Bell head."

[pll]

I crashed my bicycle two weeks ago. Wound up on the ground with 8 broken ribs, broken shoulder bone and collar bone. I was wearing a helmet and had a a small concussion. There was a small traumatic brain injury because I don't remember anything until I was in the hospital room. (And that was after the ambulance pickup) THANK GOD FOR HELMETS!!!!!!

Anyway, the helmet which was fours years old is being replaced. In fact, I hadn't picked up my new bike at the LBS yet and when I returned from therapy there was a new better quality helmet on my bed. I figure it was from the LBS as it it matches the new bike perfectly. I don't know if it was the LBS who actually bought the helmet, but you can be sure I will wear it! And I think I will replace it every other year.

IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT, WEAR A HELMET. YOU CAN ALWAYS REGRET WEARING IT.

Wow, kajero! I hope you recover fast. 8 broken ribs, shoulder and collarbone!! :eek: Ouch, ouch, ouch.

[Owlie]

I crashed my bicycle two weeks ago. Wound up on the ground with 8 broken ribs, broken shoulder bone and collar bone. I was wearing a helmet and had a a small concussion. There was a small traumatic brain injury because I don't remember anything until I was in the hospital room. (And that was after the ambulance pickup) THANK GOD FOR HELMETS!!!!!!

Anyway, the helmet which was fours years old is being replaced. In fact, I hadn't picked up my new bike at the LBS yet and when I returned from therapy there was a new better quality helmet on my bed. I figure it was from the LBS as it it matches the new bike perfectly. I don't know if it was the LBS who actually bought the helmet, but you can be sure I will wear it! And I think I will replace it every other year.

IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT, WEAR A HELMET. YOU CAN ALWAYS REGRET WEARING IT.

Wow. Ouchy. Heal up quick.